Francis Ngannou evolved from a KO king to a grappling God with a completely unexpected performance against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 to retain his heavyweight title despite battling on with a torn knee.
After dropping the first two rounds with his gas tank seemingly running low, the champion produced a massive body slam takedown that must have registered on the Richter scale in California as his French opponent clattered into the mat.
Gane was slammed down to the mat in the third round in a moment that completely shifted the momentum
The Frenchman had been performing well on the feet so perhaps did not expected Ngannou to attempt a takedown
It was the moment of the fight and signalled a crucial change in momentum with the Cameroon native repeating the trick in the championship rounds. With the scores level at two rounds apiece heading into the fifth, both men knew the importance of the next five minutes.
